Cleaning the Tack Room

How to Find Your Tack a New Home

by Aliena Hook

Photo courtesy Aliena Hook

If you’re like most equestrians, you collect tack. It might be piled in boxes, tack lockers, or lying around the barn. We might have grand ideas to sell the tack we don’t need or no longer want, but most of us have experienced how this is easier said than done. However, there are a few tricks to keep the tack clutter down and keep the wallet a little fuller.

First, sort out all the tack not regularly used. I usually do separate piles for toss, fix, sell or donate. Items in the toss pile are unsalvageable, such as cracked leather or broken buckles. The sell or donate items may simply be in need of a good cleaning. Those items in the donate pile are things I can’t get more than ten dollars for, like an old pair of lace reins.

Cleaning the tack is key to selling and donating. Take everything apart and give it a deep cleaning and conditioning. Make minor repairs and fluff up any fleece and sheepskin linings with a wire grooming brush. The name of the game is for everything to look as new as possible.

Decreasing the sell pile is the hard part. First, you need to know how much to ask for a given item. Google and eBay are great for comparing prices and evaluating the quality of your item. Make sure you get some appealing photos of your tack; showing a brand name always helps. Knowing what you are selling shows you are knowledgeable and care about your tack. Find the manufacturer, year, measurements, etc. so your potential buyers can make informed purchases.

Next, decide how and where to sell. Consignment is a good option if you don’t want to go the Craigslist route, but means you have to pay a commission. Try online stores that specialize in tack, tack swaps, sales at shows, and eBay. Another route is to advertise on social media. Do a search for Facebook tack-for-sale groups in your area. You might be surprised at how many tack sale communities there are.

Lastly, if something has been sitting in your sale pile for too long, donate it or barter with a friend. Someone, somewhere will find a use for it. And with the old stuff gone you now have room for some new tack.

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Aliena Hook grew up in the Northwest and discovered horses at a young age while attending a birthday party. Beginning with her first rides and through many years of training, Aliena has strived to develop her own way of training based on natural horsemanship and focusing on the bond between humans and their horses.
When she’s not riding, she is writing. Aliena is currently working on her first book about her rescue horse Orion, and the issues surrounding the horse slaughter industry.
Aliena lives and works in Bellingham, WA and owns two Arabian geldings that she trains and learns from on a daily basis. She is a senior at Western Washington University, and hopes to pursue the careers of both trainer and writer in the near future. Contact her at alienafreerider@gmail.com or through Facebook.